What's the story?

The Tales series is one of Japan's most engaging role-playing franchises, noted for speedier combat than its genre-bound brethren and beautifully animated cutscenes courtesy of partnerships with top anime studios. Xillia celebrates the line's 15th anniversary with an epic adventure pairing medical student Jude Mathis and mystic summoner Milla Maxwell as they battle to save two worlds from mutual destruction.

Gameplay

Unfolding over a solid 60-plus hours, Milla and Jude's quest sees them joined by diverse allies with robust abilities but derivative anime-style personality quirks. Combat remains the high point of any Tales game – battles pair fighters, enabling powerful dual attacks or support actions, while selecting which two characters to link in order to gain particular abilities adds a touch of strategy.

Highs and lows

For those who dig the anime aesthetic, Xillia is one of the best-looking games on the shelves, with fantastic character designs and imaginative locales to explore. The musical score, by noted composer Motoi Sakuraba, is a delicately arranged auditory experience, though the game is let down on the sound front by some occasionally painful voice acting.

The verdict

While peers such as Final Fantasy struggle with constant iterative reinvention, Tales has focused on perfecting its formula. Xillia is familiar but fresh for players who enjoy the format, while remaining accessible and engaging for newcomers. Despite occasional head-shaking moments of teen melodrama or narrative excess – designed to reinforce how worlds-shaking the stakes it has created are – it's an enjoyable and compelling affair.